Control system

Abstract

A central device for a control system which controls an energy transfer system that has energy generators and energy consumers. The central device is suitable for determining, by an actual and/or a prognosticated energy consumption, how much energy should be generated by the energy generators. An individual energy bandwidth is assigned to at least one subgroup of the energy consumers connected to the energy transfer system, the bandwidth indicating to what extent the total energy consumption of the subgroup is expected to be able to be raised and/or lowered. The central device is suitable—in view of the energy generating behavior of the energy generators and the individual energy bandwidth of the subgroup—for determining an optimum target energy consumption which lies within the individual energy bandwidth and which the subgroup should achieve in total. The central device further generates a control signal indicating the target energy consumption.

1 - 10 . (canceled) 
     
     
         11 . A central device system for a control system for controlling a power transmission system having power generators and power consumers, the central device system determining, by means of at least one of an actual power consumption or a forecast power consumption, how much power should be generated by the power generators, the central device system comprising:
 a central device assigning an individual power bandwidth to at least one subgroup of the power consumers connected to the power transmission system, the individual power bandwidth indicating to what extent a total power consumption of the subgroup is expected to be one of raised or lowered; and   said central device, in view of power generating characteristic of the power generators and the individual power bandwidth of the subgroup, determining an optimum desired power consumption lying within the individual power bandwidth, and which the subgroup should achieve in total, said central device further generating a control signal indicating the optimum desired power consumption.   
     
     
         12 . A control system for controlling a power transmission system having power generators and power consumers, the control system comprising:
 a central device assigning an individual power bandwidth to at least one subgroup of the power consumers connected to the power transmission system, the individual power bandwidth indicating to what extent a total power consumption of the subgroup is expected to be one of raised or lowered; and   said central device, in view of power generating characteristic of the power generators and the individual power bandwidth of the subgroup, determining an optimum desired power consumption lying within the individual power bandwidth, and which the subgroup should achieve in total, and said central device generating a control signal indicating the optimum desired power consumption.   
     
     
         13 . The control system according to  claim 12 , further comprising at least one intermediate control device connected to said central device and to the subgroup, and said intermediate control device controlling the subgroup of the power consumers connected to said intermediate control device, so that the subgroup achieves in total a power consumption which corresponds to the control signal of said central device. 
     
     
         14 . The control system according to  claim 13 , wherein:
 said intermediate device is one of a plurality of intermediate control devices, each of said intermediate control devices is linked to said central device and to an individual subgroup of the power consumers which are connected to the power transmission system;   in each case, the individual power bandwidth is assigned to each of the subgroups, the individual power bandwidth indicating to what extent a total power consumption of a respective subgroup is expected to be at least one of raised or lowered; and   in each case, each of said intermediate control devices controlling the subgroup of the power consumers connected to said intermediate control device, so that the subgroup achieves in total a specified desired power consumption which lies within the individual power bandwidth.   
     
     
         15 . The control system according to  claim 14 , wherein in view of the power generating characteristic of the power generators and of the individual power bandwidths of all the subgroups, said central device determines for each of the subgroups the optimum desired power consumption which the respective subgroup should achieve, and which lies within the respective individual power bandwidth, and in each case for generating for each of said intermediate control devices an individual control signal indicating the respective desired power consumption. 
     
     
         16 . The control system according to  claim 14 , wherein:
 at least one of said intermediate control devices is a higher-level intermediate control device which is indirectly linked via a subordinate one of said intermediate control devices to a subordinate subgroup of the power consumers connected to said subordinate intermediate control device; and   the subordinate subgroup of the power consumers is linked to said subordinate intermediate control device, and said subordinate intermediate control device controlling the power consumers connected to said subordinate intermediate control device, so that the subordinate subgroup achieves in total a power consumption which corresponds to a specified fraction of the desired power consumption assigned to the subgroup.   
     
     
         17 . An intermediate control device system for a control system for controlling a power transmission system having power generators and power consumers, the control system containing a central device assigning an individual power bandwidth to at least one subgroup of the power consumers connected to the power transmission system, the individual power bandwidth indicating to what extent a total power consumption of the subgroup is expected to be one of raised or lowered and the central device, in view of power generating characteristics of the power generators and the individual power bandwidth of the subgroup, determining an optimum desired power consumption lying within the individual power bandwidth, and which the subgroup should achieve in total, the central device generating a control signal indicating the optimum desired power consumption, the intermediate control device system comprising:
 an intermediate control device for controlling the subgroup of the power consumers connected to said intermediate control device so that the subgroup achieves in total a power consumption which corresponds to the control signal from the central device and which lies within the individual power bandwidth which is individually assigned to the subgroup, the individual power bandwidth indicating to what extent the total power consumption of the subgroup is expected to be at least one of raised or lowered.   
     
     
         18 . The intermediate control device system according to  claim 17 , wherein said intermediate control device has an arithmetic logic unit and a memory in which a consumption characteristic and an adjustability of the power consumers connected to said intermediate control device are stored, said arithmetic logic unit is programmed so that, in view of the consumption characteristic and the adjustability of the power consumers, said arithmetic logic unit determines for each of the power consumers an individual consumption value, with a proviso that a total of the consumption values corresponds to the control signal of the central device. 
     
     
         19 . The intermediate control device system according to  claim 18 , wherein said intermediate control device is linked in a communications network to at least one of the power consumers connected to it and is suitable for negotiating with the power consumer an individual desired consumption of the power consumer and/or the individual desired power consumption of the power consumer in view of load data which the power consumer supplies, and for stipulating specified safety restrictions. 
     
     
         20 . A method for controlling a power transmission system having power generators and power consumers, which comprises the steps of:
 determining by means of at least one of an actual power consumption or a forecast power consumption how much power should be generated by the power generators;   assigning an individual power bandwidth to a subgroup of the power consumers connected to the power transmission system, the individual power bandwidth indicating to what extent a total power consumption of the subgroup is expected to be at least one of raised or reduced;   determining, in view of power generating characteristics of the power generators and of the individual power bandwidth of the subgroup, an optimum desired power consumption which lies within the individual power bandwidth, and which the subgroup should achieve in total; and   generating a control signal indicating the optimum desired power consumption.